A Publication for Alumni and Friends SPRING ISSUE 2006

Classnotes continued
OTHER
Rio Grande alumni recently recognized by
the Academic Excellence Foundation of the
Gallia County Local Schools were: RUTH
WARDEN ’92, Kyger Creek Middle
School; WILLIAM WEBB ’65, South
Gallia High School; and LYNN ARNOTT
’79, Bidwell-Porter Elementary School.
Inducted into the Foundation’s Hall of
Fame were former URG president,
Barry M. Dorsey, and the late RON
TWYMAN ’72.
Grad Notes:
Jason R. Winters, Graduate Recruiter
The Office of Graduate Studies is
working hard to provide the teaching
professionals in our state with a simply
engaging, profoundly impacting,
and invitingly convenient masters program.
We are currently offering to bring
the Master of Education in Classroom
Teaching (Fine Arts Concentration) to
any school district that has 12 or more
graduate students who wish to enroll.
Spring Semester we began offering
the program at Logan-Hocking School
District (Hocking), and Western Local
School District (Pike).
At this time, the Fine Arts Concentration
is the only portable concentration.
However, we are working diligently
on converting the Educational
Technology, Mathematics, and Humanities
concentrations to a hybrid format
(face-to-face/online) that would
allow these concentrations to be offered
more conveniently.
For more information about bringing
the program to your district, contact
your superintendent, curriculum coordinator,
LPDC chair, or the Office of
Graduate Studies at 1-800-282-7201
ext. 7166 or jwinters@rio.edu.
Rio’s Professor Sofranko attends
“The Evolution of Psychotherapy:
The World’s Largest Psychotherapy Conference”
Dr. Edward Sofranko, professor at the
University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande
Community College, recently took part
in a psychotherapy conference in California
that brought together many
world leaders in the field.
Sofranko serves as a professor of psychology
at Rio Grande and is the chair
of the School of Social Sciences.
In December, Sofranko attended
“The Evolution of Psychotherapy: The
World’s Largest Psychotherapy Conference,”
in Anaheim, Calif. The conference
was sponsored by the Milton H.
Erickson Foundation. More than
10,000 people from around the U.S. as
well as representatives from 15 other
countries attended the conference,
which is recognized for the important
topics that are discussed, the leaders in
the field that attend and the ideas that
are exchanged.
“It was a golden opportunity to learn
from the masters,” Sofranko said about
the conference.
The keynote address speakers at the
conference this year were Hunter
“Patch” Adams, the renowned medical
doctor who was the subject of a movie
starring Robin Williams; Mary
Catherine Bateson, a writer and cultural
anthropologist who is the daughter of
the famous anthropologist Margaret
Mead; and Aaron Beck, a respected
psychiatrist and author who is the president
of the Beck Institute of Cognitive
Therapy and Research.
“The keynote addresses were outstanding,”
Sofranko said.
The conference offered topics from
all different areas of psychotherapy,
such as psychology, counseling and
social work.
“It brought all of us together,”
Sofranko said about the many different
types of psychotherapy professionals
who attended. The conference focused
on new concepts and techniques
in psychotherapy, while also discussing
the current issues and concerns. “It
was just phenomenal,” he said.
For Sofranko, the conference was important
for several reasons. First of all,
he keeps himself up-to-date on all of
the concepts and techniques in psychotherapy,
so that he can teach his students
at Rio Grande about the current
state of the field. By attending the conference,
he is able to pass on the knowledge
and experience from the leaders
in psychotherapy to his students.
Sofranko also is a practicing psychotherapist,
and attends educational conferences
and workshops in order to
keep his Ohio license current.
Sofranko serves as a licensed professional
counselor at the Center for
Healthy Living in Gallipolis, in addition
to his work at Rio Grande.
Besides giving professionals from
around the world a chance to hear
from renowned speakers, the conference
also gives the psychotherapists the
opportunity to talk with each other and
learn from each other in the workshops,
classes and other gatherings.
6/www.rio.edu A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
SPRING ISSUE 2006